Concordia board member says prez left to ‘avoid embarrassment’
While several faculty councils at Concordia University have condemned the Board of Governors over the circumstances surrounding the departure of president Judith Woodsworth, the students’ union “wholeheartedly” supported her leaving.
In a letter sent to the Montreal Gazette, and other media, Amine Dabchy, a former students’ union president, and a current student representative on the board, wrote that under Woodsworth “a very divisive environment” was created that had “alienated many members of senior staff.”
According to Dabchy, he and two other student board representatives, including the current students’ union president, met with board chair Peter Kruyt in early December. “We stated unequivocally that the students had lost confidence in this administration and we called upon Peter Kruyt to take immediate action by demanding significant changes,” he wrote. Among other complaints against Woodsworth, Dabchy cited several senior administrators who have left Concordia in recent years.
Although the university originally stated that Woodsworth resigned for personal reasons, she later said she was asked to leave. According to Dabchy Woodsworth had little support on the board and surmised that “she decided to resign to avoid embarrassment.”